How matching works

Matching is the secret sauce. Here is how it works in plain English.

The goal

We want every match to feel like a good trade for both sides. Not a one-way help. Not a beg. A clean swap.

The signals we look at

When you have an open campaign, we look at every other open campaign and score it. The score uses a few things:

• Niche fit. Same or close niche scores higher.
• Size fit. We try to pair creators with similar fan counts. We split the pool into bands so a 1k creator does not get matched with a 100k creator.
• Time zone. If the other creator is asleep when your window is, that is a worse match.
• Trust score. Creators who follow through on past trades score higher.
• History. If you traded with someone last month, we wait a bit before pairing you again.

The match with the best score wins. We show it to both of you. If you both accept, you trade.

Why we use bands

Bands are size groups. They keep the trades fair. A creator with 800 fans and a creator with 80,000 fans are not really doing the same kind of work. One has way more reach. If we paired them, the small creator would gain a lot and the big one would gain little. That is not a fair trade.

So we group creators into bands and match inside the band. There are seven bands, from "just starting" to "top of market". You move up as your fan count grows.

What if there are no good matches?

We keep looking. We will not push you a bad match just to fill the slot. If your niche is rare or your window is tight, matches may take a day or two. You can widen your window to find more options.

Can I see who I am about to be matched with?

Yes. When a match is found, we show you their stage name, their fan count, their niche, and their trust score. You always have a chance to pass. We never auto-confirm.

What about cooldowns?

After a trade closes, you both go on a short cooldown with each other. That keeps things fresh. If you keep trading with the same person, your fans see the same shoutouts and stop clicking. The cooldown is one to two weeks based on band size.